I've Witnessed Emergence Of Three Olus Of Warri, I Pray Not To See Fourth

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo said he has witnessed the emergence of three Olus of Warri and prayed not to witness the coronation of the fourth in his lifetime.

Obasanjo made the remark while paying homage to Ogiame Atuwatse III, the newly-crowned Olu of Warri, in Warri, Delta State, on Sunday.

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Utieyinoritsetsola Emiko, a 37-year-old serial entrepreneur, was, on Saturday, crowned the 21st Olu of Warri, and immediately assumed the title of Ogiame Atuwatse III.

The former president deferred to the new monarch by kneeling before him.

He urged Itsekiri sons and daughters to work with the new monarch to achieve greater development in the kingdom, adding that he is praying for the new monarch and wishing him long life and a peaceful reign.

He said: “I am one of the happiest on your installation because God has especially favoured me to see three Olus and I don’t pray to see the fourth one.

“I want to emphasise that the position you occupy today is given to you by God but with your own people surrounding you and you must always remember that.

“If God has given you a role to perform you will be offending God if you fail to perform that task.

Obasanjo enjoined the new monarch to be close to God, noting that the Almighty would be his succour in smooth and difficult times.

“Be very close to God in whatever situation you may find yourself and God will surely make a way for you,” he said.

Speaking later on while his principal (Obasanjo) knelt before the Olu of Warri, who is 47 years younger than him, Kehinde Akinyemi, Special Assistant on Media to the former president, explained that Obasanjo did not kneel before the monarch but before the seat representing the ancient Iwere Kingdom.

“He (Obasanjo) went to Warri this (Sunday) morning to pay homage to the new king. It is a traditional institution; he (Ogiame Atuwatse III) is not the one sitting down, it is the institution that is on the throne,” Akinyemi told the Punch.

“Obasanjo is the Baba of Africa and he can pay homage to every exalted traditional seat.”